


Captain's Quarters

by miss_aligned



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Mass Effect 1, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-03
Updated: 2016-05-03
Packaged: 2018-06-06 04:00:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6737392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_aligned/pseuds/miss_aligned
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaidan needs to pass on important information to the Commander, but chooses a rather inopportune time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Captain's Quarters

“Commander?”

He stared at the panel near the door of the cabin for several long moments, seemingly petrified with indecision. He’d searched high and low for her, and this was the last logical place she could be. Kaidan’s gaze shifted from the panel to the datapad in his hand. Perhaps this could wait for another time. If she was getting some hard-earned rest, then he should leave her in peace.

He took a deep breath. Each passing moment meant that they were traveling further and further from an area he’d managed to pinpoint as a hotbed of terrorist activity. If they didn’t turn back to deal with it head-on, there was no telling how many lives were at stake. He had to try and alert the commander of his findings. This was his job.

Cautiously, as though afraid the panel would bite him, he lifted a finger and hit the control. The door slid open quietly to reveal a dark and silent cabin beyond. He remained there for a moment longer, waiting to see if Shepard would reveal herself, saving him the embarrassment or temptation of invading her one place of solitude.

Kaidan swallowed hard before he stepped across the threshold. It wasn’t as though it was the first time he’d ever entered the captain’s quarters. He’d been here several times when the Normandy was commanded by Anderson, but he hadn’t been here since Shepard had taken over. Coming here unbidden made it all the more daunting.

He couldn’t help but wonder at how Shepard might use the space in comparison to the ship’s former captain. Anderson used it primarily as a place to rest and plan. He could often be called upon here as he sorted through reports and plotted the next course of action. Shepard, however, was hardly ever here, as far as he could tell. She was most commonly at the CIC. If not there, then she was usually chatting with various members of the crew. His cheeks grew hot when he thought about how often and how long she visited with him as the Normandy was heading for its next destination. In fact, he rarely needed to seek her out because it was never long before she appeared right in front of him with that mischievous glint in her eye.

There was an internal struggle as he tore his gaze from the floor to the bed. Was she there? Could he handle seeing his commanding officer in such a state? Sure, he’d shared quarters with plenty of fellow students and soldiers over the years. He’d witnessed some very entertaining sleeping habits in others. He’d always found it very intriguing to see how someone slept and how it compared to their personalities in a waking state. Did Shepard sleep like the dead, still and quiet? Did she snore with her hair a mess and arms spread wide across the pillows? Did she toss and turn, throwing blankets everywhere? Kaidan scratched idly at the back of his neck as his thoughts drifted to what she might look like while asleep… what she might wear…

After the quickest of glances at the bed, he recognized that she wasn’t in it. The blankets and pillows were pristine and untouched, save for a few dark garments tossed across one edge. Even in the dim lighting, he could see the signature N7 logo. He turned on his heel, knowing that he’d already invaded too much into Shepard’s private quarters. Internally chastising himself for even entertaining the idea of coming here, he planned to flee and act like none of this had ever happened.

The lieutenant froze, however, at the surprised yelp of a familiar voice. Suddenly he found himself in the most humiliating situation he could have ever imagined.

“Kaidan?” Shepard, too, remained motionless, holding the corners of her towel in her hands as she’d just been wrapping it around herself. A full-body flush worked itself across the entirety of her skin as she got her wits about her and furiously tucked the edges of the towel in place to preserve what modesty she could. “Is everything alright?”

“Uhh…” He stood dumbfounded for a few seconds, simultaneously ashamed and fascinated to see the woman out of her armor or uniform. He couldn’t help but notice as his gaze dropped sheepishly to the ground that she had long, beautiful legs. Her toenails were painted a very girly shade of pink. He began to chuckle until he realized with no small amount of horror that she was watching him and had just asked him a question. He cleared his throat to feebly mask his amusement and hide his mortification. “Umm no, Commander. Everything is fine.”

“Just came for a visit, then?”

His eyes widened as they remained locked on the floor. He was horrified that she thought he might invade her privacy for fun. Wait… was she flirting? Now?

“What? No… I mean… no. I was going to show you… I’ll just wait until later. Sorry to intrude.”

Shepard dipped her head and tucked a stray lock of wet hair behind her ear, the flush still visible across her skin as she laughed. The sound of it made his heart ache. He wasn’t sure if it was the unending embarrassment of the situation or something else that triggered the feeling deep in his chest.

“Show me what?” He could tell from her tone that she was just toying with him now. He dared to glance at her face, which was plastered with a glorious grin despite the redness of her cheeks. Kaidan was rendered immobile at the sight. Again.

He remembered suddenly that there was a datapad in his hand. He should use it. Distract her with it so he could run away and hide somewhere deep in the cargo bay. He pulled it up so fast that Shepard flinched. “I was doing some research on some of the data we’ve recovered recently and I think I’ve found a connection for this terrorist cell or Cerberus or whatever it’s called and I think we need to search the Voyager Cluster more thoroughly and here you can read what I found.”

Kaidan had rattled everything off so quickly and incoherently that, given the expression on Shepard’s face at that moment, she hadn’t understood a bit of it. She took the offered datapad, however, and turned her attention to it, likely hoping to make some sense of it all. The way she could concentrate and get down to business on a whim even when clad in nothing but a towel in front of her lieutenant was nothing short of a miracle. Not to mention unfair. Very, very unfair.

“I should go.”

Shepard snorted at that comment, one she’d used numerous times and in all sorts of situations. It was hysterical to think that Kaidan was using it on her, but before she could retort, he disappeared around the corner. He nearly sprinted to the elevator, the breeze in the aftermath of his abrupt exit even caused the bottom edge of her towel to shift and move.

“I’ll come find you in a few, Lieutenant,” she said rather loudly so that her voice would carry to the door of the elevator. There was no hiding the amusement in her tone. She swore she could hear a groan in response.

“Take your time, Commander. I have some other things to attend to…” His voice cracked, the way hers did when too many emotions were hitting her at once and she was trying to keep it together. As the doors to the elevator closed, he quietly continued without intending for her to hear but failing miserably, “like launching myself into orbit.”

Shepard, meanwhile, settled herself and dutifully read the information presented to her on the datapad, but nothing could keep the smile from creeping across her face.


End file.
